Saturday, December 24, 2016

Thursday, August 19, 2010

The road of holiness has been paved the blood of the Son of God , who knew no sin, but became sin that we may become the righteousness of God in him. The blood was spilled for the purose of purifying us, by purging our sin, and creating within us a Holy habitation, in which God set up residence.

The purpose of the Cross is to make each one that believes a Holy tabernacle, where the presence of God resides.

If we remove all sin from our lives he will dwell with us, and his presence will be a fortress, and shield to us. Jesus is a tower of refuge, for all who turn to him in repentance. All who turn from the evil of their own ways, shall know his presence, and his presence sets the enemy to flight.

Many of God's people today want freedom from the onslaught of the Devil, but yet they let the Devil have a legal foot hold in their lives, by knowingly and willingly allowing sin in their lives. God is Holy and he will not abide with evil of any sort, just like light will not abide with darkness.

I you say you walk in the light, and take part in the ways of this world, you are a liar, and walk in deception. The ways of this world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life come not from the Father of life, but from the ruler of this present darkness, the very power of the ruler of the air, namely that old serpent the Devil.

The way of life is narrow and straight, and defined in the person of Jesus Christ. Everything that Jesus did was in perfect faith toward the Father. That which is of faith is always pleasing to God. That which is not is always sin, and in Gods sight dung. The only way to walk with God is in complete conformity to his son Jesus Christ. If lean toward anythiong else you are not a worshiper of God, but an idolater, and unless you repent your fate shall be the same as those that worshipped the golden calves in the wilderness, God had comaned his people to be Holy as he is Holy. With this comand Gos also the power to walk in it, so that no man is with an exscuse for not being Holy.

As Jesus gave the command to Peter to come to him, in the midst of the storm, and received that command and received the power to walk on the water, so does Jesus today gives us command to be Holy, and if any recive that command he will have the power to walk over the waters in these days when the storms of wickedness are at it's greatest. The only way to fail to walk the road of holiness is to reject the very word of our savior. Those that grab on to Jesus in this day and hour will rise above all hardships, those that do not will drown. Choose this day who you will serve, and Lord will choose the victors.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The problem with the Church system today is that they people are over educated and under revelated. Their heads are filled with a lot of knowledge of the Bible, but they do not know Jesus who is the word of God incarnate. In order to truly live you must give yourself over to knowing Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings. The road to life is through deep intimacy with God through Jesus Christ. God had made this possible through the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:1-3 (KJV)

The Greek word here is Logos referring to the expression of intelligent thought. Jesus is the embodiment of the divine thought and reason by which the creation was made.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Romans 1:20 (KJV)

The creation is an expression of God's intelligent thought, in a way similar to a painting being an expression of the thought of the artist or a book being the being the expression of the thought of the writer.

Cinema, music, art literature can all be defined avenues for the expression of thought, and concepts or logos of man. The creation, and the Bible are expressions of the logos of God. The word given out by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the mouth of his prophet is also logos of God.

Isaiah 55:10&11

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11 (KJV)

Like the rain the Word of the Lord always comes out of Heaven from the very throne room of God. When a prophet receives a word it is literally dropped in his spirit from above. The word is rained into the heart of his prophet so that it can saturate the Earth, and revitalize life, and alter the landscape by cutting away parts of the Earth a process known as erosion.

Consistent rainfall is known to literally wear down rocks. As rain soak into soft ground and produces life. So does the Word of God in a humble and contrite heart. A proud and stubborn heart is like a rock, that the rain of the Word of God will cut into it till it is broken down.

Once the rain does what it is meant to do it returns to heaven in the form of vapor., and is released again at the proper time. The word from the mouth of God is always productive. It will produce new life or it will remove obstacles that hinder the plan of God upon the face of the Earth.

1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. 4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: 5 That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. 6 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes. 7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezek 21:1-7 (KJV)

In verse 2 the Hebrew word for drop is referring to a drop of water or a rain drop. God is commanding his prophet rain his word on Jerusalem. God is always raining his word upon the face of the Earth and he includes his prophets in the process. The Lord is very capable of getting his message out with or with out prophets. God is capable of speaking through any part of the creation at any time. If any prophet gets built up in pride because God speaks through him , he should take heed of himself or else he may be humbled by receiving a word through the mouth of a jackass.

The word rains down on all creation it does not necessarily come through a prophet. In this passage God switches from the image of his word as rain, and to image of his word as a double edged sword.

This sword has a unique property it is alive, notice the wording his sheath is reference to the sword in verses. God is using the word his in reference to the sword making it a person rather than a thing. If he was referring to a thing it would read it's sheath not his sheath.

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Heb 4:12 (KJV)

The sword, here discerns thoughts and intents of the heart. The ability to discern is an aspect of intelligence. This again makes the word a person, not a thing.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 (KJV)

The Sword of the Spirit is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the word of the Lord came to the prophets of old, it was Jesus coming to them declaring the Father. From the beginning the Son always testified of the Father. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.

I n both John and Hebrews the Greek word used here is Logos Expression of intelligent thought.

Where ever I am there is my intelligence thought also. God thinking process was a always will be embodied in the person of his son.

Go back to Ezek 21:1-7 (KJV)

The judgment of God comes according to the Word of the Lord the person of Jesus Christ.

All these function require inteligence to carry out these actions. The Word that comes to the prophet is that which expresses God's intelegence. Our purpose here a prophets is to exemplify the mind of Christ on Earth as it is in Heaven.

A sword's sole purpose is to cut. When Christ arrives on the scene something is either being , cut off, away or is being shaped, carved.

Here in Ezekiel the word is cutting evil from the face of the Earth. The righteous, and the wicked were being cut off with the sin, because they would not let their sin go. So they were cut off with it. Sin brings death. In order for us to truly live sin must be cut out of our lives.

The Word of the Lord cuts away sin so that life may flourish.

Where sin is present life is cut off.

The sword divides.

Death and life are set before them

15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayst live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Deut 30:15-20 (KJV)

The Law of Moses is the Word of God , and like a two edged sword it divides the road of life and the road of death. So does the word of in Heb 4:12 (ASV)

The Word of God divides soul and spirit. From the soul comes our selfish desires that are opposed the the plan and puposes of God, and lead to death From the Spirit comes the will, plan , of God. which leads to life. The word of God makes it clear which road we are walking on.

From the time of Adam till now the Word of the Lord has been raining on the Earth to show man where he is at with God.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Gen 3:9-10 (KJV)

God never asks a question to gain information or knowledge. If God needed his creation to inform him than he would no longer be God.

God wanted Adam to assess where he was with him, so that he may restored.

Jhn 1:17

For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Moses spoke by the word of God, which is the intelligence of God defined in the person of Jesus Christ..

God spoke to Moses face to face, and gave him the Law. Then that God who gave the law became a man, and gave us the grace and truth we needed. Jesus is Word of the living God , and is established as the way that defines the way of life and the way of death , Jesus said “I am the truth , the Life and the Way.”

For Christians the way of life and death is defined not in rules and regulation, but in being transformed in the image of Christ who is the word of life come from heaven.

38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Did you know that our Pilgrim forefathers tried communism when they first landed at Plymouth Rock?

How’s that for a dramatic beginning to a story? Years ago, when I used to give a lot of talks to high school classes, this was one of my favorites. It always got the students’ attention. And I have to admit, I also enjoyed seeing some liberal teachers get so upset with me they almost lost their lunches.

Here’s the story I told those students in those long-ago presentations.

The Pilgrims who arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were incredibly brave and hardy souls. They were motivated by the noblest of virtues. They vowed, each and every one, to be as selfless as possible—to always put the needs of the group first. They agreed to own everything in common and to share everything equally.

And their naïve piety almost killed the entire colony.

We all know how the adventure begins. A group of devout Christians, seeking religious freedom for themselves and eager to "advance the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ" in the New World, sets sail from Plymouth, England in 1620. An investment consortium known as the Merchant Adventurers of London paid the expenses for the trip, including chartering the Mayflower and its 40-man crew.

The deal was simple: The Pilgrims agreed to establish a colony in northern Virginia where they would plant crops, fish the waters and hunt in the forests. They would return a certain percentage of each year’s bounty to London until their debt had been repaid.

Things went wrong from the start. First, the syndicate changed the deal, drastically reducing the amount they would loan the Pilgrims. The brave adventurers were forced to sell many of their own possessions, and much of their provisions, to pay for the trip. As a result, they landed in the New World badly short of supplies.

Next, the small ship they had purchased in Holland, which was to accompany them to America so they could fish the waters off the coast, had to be abandoned in England.

Shortly after they set sail, the ship, badly misnamed the Speedwell, became "open and leakie as a sieve," as its captain reported. They returned to Dartmouth, where the boat was dry-docked for three weeks as repairs were made.

But to no avail. After leaving Dartmouth, the group sailed less than 300 miles when the captain decided the Speedwell "must bear up or sink at sea." This time the ships put in at Plymouth, England, where it was decided to go on without the Speedwell. On Sept. 16, 1620, the Mayflower set out alone to cross the Atlantic.

A month later, when they had reached the halfway point, fierce storms battered the ship and threatened the lives of passengers and crew. Many wanted to turn back for England. But if they abandoned the journey, they would lose everything they had invested. The Pilgrims decided to trust in God and sail on.

Despite the storms, the hazards, the crowding and the poor food, only one Pilgrim died during the voyage, a young servant. His death was balanced by the birth of a son to Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins, who named their child Oceanus.

There were 102 passengers on board the Mayflower—50 men, 20 women and 32 children—along with a crew of 40. The captain set a course along the 42nd parallel, a bearing that would carry him to Cape Cod. From there he intended to swing south and follow the coast to northern Virginia.

A little over two months later, on Nov. 19, land was finally sighted and the captain turned the ship south, toward Virginia. However, they soon encountered such "dangerous shoals and roaring breakers" that they turned back to Massachusetts. It was then that the grumblings of dissent turned into a full-fledged roar. Many of the passengers insisted on landing in Massachusetts, where "none had power to command them."

The Pilgrim leaders decided to meet the explosive situation by asking each male on board, except for the crew, to sign a formal document that would lay "the first foundation of their government in this place." Thus the Mayflower Compact was born.

The Pilgrims were a diverse lot. Many of them were illiterate. Yet in creating the Mayflower Compact they showed an extraordinary political maturity. They agreed to establish a government by the consent of the governed, with just and equal laws for all. Each adult male, regardless of his station in life—gentleman, commoner or servant—would have an equal vote in deciding the affairs of the colony. Of the 65 men and boys on board, all but 24 signed the agreement. The only ones who did not were the children of those adults who did sign, or men who were too sick to do so.

The first decision made under the covenant was to abandon efforts to reach Virginia and instead to settle in New England. The first explorers landed at Plymouth on Dec. 21, 1620.

Weather delays kept the majority from seeing their new home for nearly two weeks. On Jan. 2, 1621, work began on the first building they would erect—a storehouse.

Because provisions were so scanty they decided that the land would be worked in common, produce would be owned in common, and goods would be rationed equally. Not unlike the society Karl Marx envisioned of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

Unfortunately, thanks to illness, injury and attitude, the system did not work. Pilferage from the storehouse became common. Suspicions of malingering were muttered. Over the course of that first, harsh winter, nearly half of the colonists perished. Four families were wiped out completely; only five of 18 wives survived. Of the 29 single men, hired hands and servants, only 10 were alive when spring finally came.

The colonists struggled desperately for two more years. When spring arrived in April 1623, virtually all of their provisions were gone. Unless that year’s harvest improved, they feared few would survive the next winter. The Pilgrim leaders decided on a bold course. The colony would abandon its communal approach and permit each person to work for his own benefit, not for the common good.

Here is how the governor of the colony, William Bradford, explained what happened then. This is taken from his marvelously readable memoir (if you can make adjustments for the Old English spellings), History of Plimoth Plantation:

The experience that was had in this commone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Plato & other ancients, applauded by some of later times;—that ye taking away of properties, and bringing it in communitie into a commone wealth, would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God.

For this communitie (so farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion & discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefite and comforte. For yet young men that were most able and fitte for labor & services did repine that they should spend their time & strength to worke for other men’s wives and children with out any recompense.

Once they replaced communal efforts with individual responsibility the differences were dramatic—and life-saving. Men went into the fields earlier and stayed later. In many cases, their wives and even their children (some barely past the toddler stage) worked right alongside them. More acres were planted, more trees were felled, more houses were built, and more game was slaughtered because of one simple change: People were allowed to keep the fruits of their own labors.

The Pilgrims arrived deeply in debt to the London merchants who sponsored them. They worked for more than 20 years, as individuals and as a community, to pay off the crushing burden. In 1627, they borrowed money to pay off the Merchants Adventurers. By 1645, they had paid off the entire debt to the company which had advanced them the sums to pay off the Merchants.

When their debt had been paid in full (at the astronomical interest rate of 45 percent per year), the company that had advanced the sums wrote the Pilgrims:

Let it not be grievous to you, that you have been instruments to break the ice for others who come after with less difficulty. The honour shall be yours to the world’s end.

As we celebrate this coming Thanksgiving Day, some 380 years after the Pilgrims celebrated the first of this uniquely American holiday, let us remember the sacrifices they made… the devotion they showed… and the lessons they learned.

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My testimony

This is part of my salvation testimony from twenty years ago. There was so much involved in my salvation, that to tell the whole story would take a whole book. So here is a very brief version. This testimony took place after the girl that I loved deeply left me and married another man. To deal with the pain I really dived into the occult, and porn. Today I am totally free in Christ. It was the love of God that changed me. I hated the Lord, I wanted to see then end of the Church. My uncle, aunt, 2 sisters, and my father were radically saved, and transformed. I knew them all well, and new well enough, that they were different people now. I did not rejoice over this it got me angry. I wanted to see this thing stopped. A Demon came to me, and gave me an idea, go with dad to church and, start some trouble, and if possible take out the Pastor. One Sunday morning, I went with Dad to Church. I watched dad go through his Sunday routine. After the message, dad introduced me to Pastor Tom Formica, an Assemblies of God Pastor. I thought to my self, let's end right here. I took a step toward the man, as I did my bones started to vibrate the core. The closer I got to him, the worst the vibration was. The Pastor shook my hand. At that point I started, backing away. I thought the Lord was going to shake me apart because the vibration became so severe. When we arrived home, I just wanted to be alone. My family knew something happened, but they were not sure what. None of them knew about my occult involvement. That night I actually spoke to God for the first time in years. I changed my mind about, attacking his church, or his preachers. He was to powerful for me to take on. I decided just to avoid Christians, give them their space hoping God would give me mine. About two weeks later. I was on my way out the door, for my favorite activity, a tour of the Philadelphia porn shops. It was a Saturday night, and I had a full paycheck in my pocket. I planned to send it all on porn, and a hooker. Then, Dad grabbed me and said "you are coming with me" After a ten minute debate, I decided to make him happy and go with him just so I can go and do my thing, afterwards. My brother was trying to kill his ex-girl friend. For about a month, they had an occult, prayer war. My brother was chanting, against his ex's life, while she, a new Christian, and members of her church came against it in prayer. My brother was freaked, all his Satanist rituals, were yielding zero results. My brother had decided to take a more physical approach, and attack her house. Dad, and I arrived at Debbie's house, Debbie is the name of my brother's ex-girl friend. After calming, Eddie, my brother, Dad took both of us into the house, where the Lord set up a spiritual ambush. In that house there were 20 Christian men ready to pray. They laid hands on Eddie and Started to pray, and praise and worship Jesus Christ the presence of the almighty fill the room like a runaway freight train. In his presence£¬ I for the first time in my life could actually see my life, all my sin, all the demons I contacted, all the girls I ripped off, all the people I scammed, all the ones that I hurt. I realized that the righteous judge of the universe was in that room and I deserved death for the way I lived. Fear seized me, so that I was paralyzed. Tears streamed down my face, because I thought this was the end. All I could do was cry please don't kill me, over and over, and over again. There are really no words to describe what happened next. It was like the Lord kneeled on one knee, looked me in the eye, and said" Mike it is alright I heard you, sin no more." The Lord forgave everything; this rocked my view of God. I saw him as angry, and violent, but he revealed himself in gentleness, and mercy. I stood up all that night, in shellshock. I just had to ask him, why he did not take me out, because I was his enemy. The Spirit stirred up an old memory, going back twelve years. At seven years old, I heard part of a message preached by a television evangelist saying,"that any one can know God.” This really got me hyped. I went up to my Dad' s room and told the " oh God I know you are busy, running the universe, and I am just a kid, but if you can find the time, could you come and talk to me because I really want to know you". The Lord showed me that the heart I had at seven never really left me. I entered into the occult looking for him, thinking that it would lead me to God. That Sunday God opened my eyes to the cross. The Cross is the avenue that God has provided to make all things right with himself. God bless you. For full story click link